Fires at Midnight (Cedric Diggory)

10 ~ Monsters and Hospitals

10

When she came to her tower she discovered a bottle of exotic sparkling wine from her home lands which she snatched up before entering her room with much grief and despair in her heart.

How could she let someone fall in love with her? Lust was normal but she knew Cedric's feelings were true and pure. To make matters worse now she was starting to ponder the thought of perhaps letting him see the true spirit she kept hidden but the voice in her head kept screaming No! She had been enough of a fool this evening allowing him to get so close and allow herself to frolic around like a giddy school girl. Yes it was fun but she was not someone who deserved fun or could have it detouring her attention away from the danger which surrounded her, waiting to attack.

Not paying attention she set the bottle down on a shelf with her collection of ancient wines and fought with herself as she undressed and tried to shed all the feelings she had felt that night.

*****

Down in the great hall students were laughing and talking loud but Vixen couldn't hear them. She leaned her head on her hand which was propped on the table as she stared into thin air letting her oatmeal go cold. Surely her family would faint to see her poor manners at this moment but she fit right in with the free spirited students which surrounded her.

Cedric sat at the furthest end of the table eating silently unlike usual. Vixen knew he had to be feeling foolish for his confession. Why did she make him tell her? She wanted to hate him again. She wanted to wrap herself in that mess of thorns once again so she felt safe but she just couldn't! Foolish wizard! Or was she the foolish enchantress?

Soon Cedric stood up to go to class. He took long fast strides so he could leave Vixen's presence but while he walked behind her a student bumped into him and knocked him into Vixen just enough so they touched and she could feel the heat from his body pour into her for just a moment.

Obviously worried about what to say he quickly managed to stutter an apology before almost running out of the great hall. Cedric's bare hand had touched the back of her neck and by the brief touch Vixen saw his secret. A familiar song and voice was in his head and now Vixen was in a panic. Her heart stopped beating, lungs stopped breathing, and her sight became blurry. She quickly stood up knocking over her bowl and scurrying toward her tower but she had not made it a quarter of the way when everything went black.

*****

"Where am I?" Vixen thought to herself. Looking around she was in a white room. Everything was so bright she could barely see where the door was which she ran to without hesitating. She quickly stepped outside and was surrounded by shrubs.

Where was she? This was most certainly not Hogwarts for the sun was too bright and oddly familiar. When she turned around she was puzzled to discover that the door she had come through was gone telling her she only had one option, and that was to begin walking. Thick thorned bushes were on each side of her and by the scent, they were poisonous and should not be touched and the blood red blossoms on them were even more toxic as they tempted her to step forward and smell them.

On she went until the horrific realization of where she was hit her causing her to freeze. The thorn wall of poison were much too carefully placed to be natural and the sun in the sky was that of Crete. She was in a labyrinth! Quickly she looked down and saw the heart stopping print causing her frozen chest to erupt like rampaging hooves. Her breathing quickened as did her heart rate while her body trembled in fear.

"Please be a cruel joke!" she said as she leaned down and touched the print. Pain shot through her veins knocking her down hard like being struck by a train. Had Lucius actually done this like he had threatened? She could not ponder at the moment as to who was to blame for her soul was in the grave danger